High Noon
by Alviarin
Summary: Wild West AU. Omi, Ken, and Youji are on a wagon train heading to California when they are attacked by Native Americans. When Aya comes to their rescue they discover that they've been on the wrong trail. Yaoi/Slash/MXM Youji/Aya, Ken/Omi Rated M for Violence, gore, and sexual themes.
1. The Black Rider

**A/N:** Okay so I have a lot of stories in the works right now. I started this one a few years ago after reading a lot of western novels. I thought it would be a cool idea to put the Weiss boys in the old west as Gunslingers lol. I really would like some feedback on this because I want to know if people think this is an interesting AU. So please, please, please tell me what you all think!

**Chapter One: The Black Rider**

The sun was high in the sky as the black rider crossed the plain. He was moving slow to keep from jarring the wounds in his left thigh, and right shoulder. He'd had a run in with a group of Indians the previous day that hadn't turned out too well for him; worse for them. He was still alive while they had lost eleven of their warriors to his blade and bullets. He shifted painfully in his saddle to survey the ground. There were hurried tracks from the Indian's unshod horses. He hadn't planned on following them, they were just going in the same direction as he was, probably to wreak havoc on some unsuspecting group of helpless pilgrims as was their norm. He sighed deeply as he came to the breast of a small hill to see them doing just that. They had surrounded a small group of wagons heading north and were preparing to attack.

* * *

Youji yelled at Omi to get in the back of the wagon to get his shotgun then stay put till it was all over. Ken had his own pistols out and was taking aim at the nearest Indians when all of the sudden they turned tail and ran yelling to each other. Youji stared in amazement before running to Burt Hanson, who owned the lead wagon. "What the hell is up with them Burt?"

"I dunno Kudou." The older man shrugged. "Our guide says they were hollering about the devil or some such nonsense." Their guide, who was a man in his early sixties and didn't seem like he was in charge of all his faculties, suddenly pointed to the top of the hill directly north of them. A rider dressed all in black riding a black horse was perched at the top of it. Youji shaded his eyes as Ken and Omi came riding up next to him on the brunette"˜s appaloosa. After a few moments the rider started down the hill towards them. Youji stared in awe as the man got close enough for the blonde to see him in detail. Everything he wore was black from his hat with silver band to his boots with silver spurs. He had on a long black coat and gloves. His hair was a starling shade of red and he had the most beautiful face Youji had ever seen on a man. Even the scar that ran down the right side of it from his temple to just below his jaw couldn't distract from it. His most beautiful feature though were his eyes. They shone from a pale face like amethysts. Youji bit his lip as the rider came to a stop in front of them. With him this close the blonde could see hints of the far east about his eyes, in the delicate features of his face, and in the slender lines of his body. He sat stiffly in his saddle saying nothing as his eyes moved over the wagon train, the reins gripped loosely in his black gloved hands. "Where ya headed, stranger?"

"California." The one word spoken in a deep, soft baritone sent shivers down Youji's spine.

"How's about that for a coincidence." Burt grinned. "That's where we're all headed."

"Your wagons are pointed the wrong direction then." The redhead said quietly then nodded over his shoulder. "Montana is that way." They all looked at the man guiding them.

"Goddamnit." The old man swore kicking the ground roughly. "I shoulda known when we crossed that damn river a couple a miles back."

"Son of a bitch, Frank." Burt groaned taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair. Youji wrinkled his nose. He hated hats, whenever he saw someone take their's off and their hair was all sweaty and greasy underneath, it turned his stomach. That was why he never wore one. He had some sunglasses to protect his eyes. "We paid you good money to take us to California."

"All these goddamn trails look the same." Frank complained.

"You aren't on a trail." The stranger cut in. "The trail is about five miles west of here. You're right in the middle of Indian territory."

"Speaking of Indians." Ken said suddenly. "What the hell was up with those ones that ran off a little while ago."

"I dunno." Frank shrugged. "They were yelling something about a black devil is alls about I could catch." Every head turned to look at the stranger in black. "I s'pose they was talking about him."

"That true stranger?" Burt asked. "They were runnin' from you?" The redhead shrugged.

"We came to a mutual understanding the other day."

"That involved them running from you?" Ken asked skeptically.

"If they don't want to lose more braves, then I suppose so." The man replied evenly.

"How many didja get?" Omi asked in awe.

"Eleven."

"All by yourself?" Ken raised an eyebrow. The man nodded once. "I find that hard to believe."

"You can believe whatever you want." The redhead replied gathering his reins. "But you people are headed in the wrong direction, and your guide is half blind. Good luck." He spurred his horse forward riding quickly past the wagons and was soon out of sight. Everyone turned to look at Frank again.

"He don't know what he's talkin' "˜bout." The old man pouted. "I can see jus' fine."

* * *

Youji couldn't believe his luck when they caught up with the stranger a few days later. The black rider was sitting under the shade of a tree with his head bowed while his horse drank thirstily from a watering hole close by. He, Ken and their guide had ridden ahead of the wagons to scout for water when they came upon the sight. The stranger's horse lifted it's head to look at them then walked over to it's rider and nudged him none too gently. A gloved hand batted at the horse annoyed then the horse nudged him again even harder. The stranger growled something under his breath then lifted his head. His violet eyes came to rest on the three men seated on their horses just a few yards away. "Still lost I see." He stood brushing dust from his coat.

"I ain't lost, youngun'." Frank growled irritably. "I tol' you that few days ago." He folded his arms as the stranger eyed him carefully. His horse stood behind him also watching the old man.

"You're headed into some hard country." The redhead said quietly.

"We'll hit the trail soon enough." The old man grumbled.

"I doubt it since the trail is about twenty miles south of here now. You're headed into desert country." Youji groaned, he hated the desert with a passion. It was dry and dusty and there was barely any water to speak of; not to mention that people began to hallucinate when thirsty. They were all going to die.

"Ain't no desert out thatta way." Frank pointed a finger. "Thar's some o' the most beautiful country." The stranger sighed, shaking his head.

"Have it your way old man." He swung up into his saddle just as they heard the faint approach of wagons. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He turned and galloped off to the west. Youji sighed, watching him go and silently prayed that they would meet again.

* * *

Aya watched the wagon train from a small copse of trees high on a hill and sighed. The old guide wasn't listening to him. He was leading them right into the desert not to mention an ambush the Indians had set up that wasn't meant for the settlers. He tried to tell himself he didn't care what happened to the wagon train, but he knew that wasn't true. There were children down there. Children that didn't need to die because of some old man's stupidity. He followed at a distance constantly watching the surrounding hills and trees for any sign of danger.

* * *

Omi was hot. He fanned himself and gulped lukewarm water, but nothing helped. Finally it got to be too much so he crawled out of the covered wagon bed to sit with Youji on the bench behind the horses where there was at least a small breeze. "What are you doing Omi? I thought I told you to stay back there." Youji frowned down at him.

"I can't. Its too hot." Omi complained. "I was gonna melt back there."

"Going to, not gonna." Youji sighed. "Don't start abusing the language we had to learn to come here now." Omi pouted but said nothing. So what if he wanted to talk like Burt and Frank. The other kids talked like them. Ken rode up next to him with a grin and Omi tried not to blush. They'd only just met at the beginning of the trip, but the seventeen year old had already fallen in love with the tall, handsome gunslinger. He knew it wasn't proper, but he couldn't help it. The brunette had a smile that shone like the sun. Ken was from Japan just like they were but it wasn't the idea of a ranch that had lured him here. It was all the stories he had heard growing up about the famous western gunman. Suddenly they heard loud whooping and the smile left Ken's face.

"Get in the back of the wagon Omi."

"Not again, why can't I-"

"Just do it, kid." Ken said quickly. "And don't go poking your head out until I say its safe." His eyes moved up to Youji's face as he made the signal to circle the wagons. "You might want to get back there too."

"Not a chance." Youji replied grimly, grabbing his shotgun and pulling on the reins. Ken nodded and galloped off to the head of the column. In minutes the wagons were in a circle with the women and children safely hidden. No one noticed the man in black watching them.

* * *

Youji tried to stay steady as the Indians began to charge. They were still out of range, but closing in fast. Suddenly they reined in their horses as something to the east caught their attention. All Youji saw was a black blur, then the Indians turned their horses in that direction. Shots rang out then there were screams of pain as the black blur disappeared among the Indians. A minute later it was silent and all twenty of the Indians were dead. Their horses galloped away. A solitary figure stood on the hillside surrounded by the fallen natives. A figure dressed entirely in black. Youji's heart leaped as a black horse trotted up to their wagon. The man in black began walking down the hill towards the circled wagons. Youji straightened as did the rest of the men as the redheaded stranger from before approached. Without his coat on Youji could see the arsenal he carried. The silver hilt of a dagger stuck up out of his left boot and a pair of silver colts with pearl handles hung in holsters belted around his waist and tied to his thighs. From what Ken had been telling him and Omi; this was how the gunman wore their pistols for a quick draw. In one hand he was carrying what Youji recognized as a katana. He sucked in his breath. It had been a long time since he'd seen anything from his homeland since he hadn't been able to bring much of anything with him. The man walked with a slow agile grace and as he got closer Youji saw a black mask across his lower face that could have come from a set of samurai armor with its elegantly carved mouth with fangs. The stranger reached up and removed it to reveal the face Youji was slowly falling in love with. "That's twice you've saved our hides now." Burt said as soon as the man was close enough. "You got a name?"

"Aya." The redheaded warrior replied softly.

"Well Aya, how would you like a job?" Burt grinned. The gorgeous face cocked to the side. "We could always use another man who knows the territory and can handle hisself in a fight."

"We don' need "˜im." Frank grumbled.

"You will if you expect to get through the rough country up ahead alive." Aya said quietly.

"I'm telling' ya. There ain't no desert over yonder." A gloved hand gripped the older man's chin tipping his grizzled head up.

"What do you smell?" The redhead asked softly. "Trees?" Frank shook his head. "Grass?" Again, Frank shook his head. "If we were to walk to the top of that hill, do you think you'd see some of the most beautiful, lush country you had ever laid your eyes on? No, you wouldn't because over that hill there is nothing but miles of sand and brush so dry the sun could set it a flame with only a glare. Over that hill is certain death for a wagon train this size, I don't know who paid you to lead these people here, but I'm guessing its one of those rich ranchers that don't want homesteaders claiming the land the graze their stock on."

"Who are you?" Frank asked, his eyes wide. Youji's eyes narrowed, along with Burt and Ken's. Their guide wasn't even trying to deny the newcomer's claim.

"I was hired to find out what happened to the missing wagon trains." Aya replied, releasing the old man's chin. "I found them, well, what was left of them after the desert did its job, and you know"¦" He trailed off staring at the now terrified looking man in front of him. "The one thing they had in common was their guide, he was known by different names, but he was an old man." Aya's lips turned up in a smile that didn't reach his cold eyes. "And now that we're here, standing at the precipice of their demise, I know who that old man is." Youji didn't even see the man move, but suddenly Frank's head fell from his shoulders. Aya calmly cleaned his blade and placed it in the sheath hanging from his back amidst the screams of the homesteaders. Youji watched in shock as the man's horse walked up and Aya carefully wrapped the corpse with a blanket from his saddlebag then tied it up with a rope hanging from his saddle.

"What are you going to do with him?" Burt asked in a hushed tone.

"Take him out of sight of the women and leave him for the buzzards." Aya shrugged. "Why?"

"He needs a proper Christian burial." Jefferies spoke up, his voice tight. He was the preacher on the wagon train, so Youji understood his anger. The Christian's were the forgive and forget type. Aya looked at him then at the now bloody blanket wrapped corpse at his feet and shrugged, dropping the rope.

"Suit yourself." He swung up onto his horse with a soft sigh.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Burt cried.

"I need to find you a new trail, don't I?" Aya replied, gathering his reins. "I'll be back, you might want to make camp here. There's water just over that hill." He pointed at a small hill in the distance covered in trees. "Its the last you'll find for a few days at least, make good use of it." He turned his horse in the opposite direction.

"Go with him Ken." Burt said quietly. "Make sure he's doing what he says." Ken nodded before getting on his own horse and following the other rider. When they'd disappeared over a hill everyone looked down at the corpse at their feet and got to work.


	2. The Search

**A/N: **I am so thankful for the reviews I got! Thank you so much! I would like to clear up some stuff before I continue on with the story.

First: Timewise this story takes place after 1850, which is when California became a state I believe, but before the Civil War.

Second: The trail the wagon train was _supposed_ to be on is called the California Trail, which split off from the Oregon one and cut through northern Nevada. I don't know if the desert I described exists or not, but for the purpose of this story it does lol. There isn't much I can do about the mention of Montana, which didn't become a territory until 1864 lol, but I hope people can forgive my historical inaccuracies.

Third: The native Americans who have been attacking are a group of rogues, because I do know those existed. They are a band of exiled braves who hate white men...and Aya, especially Aya lol.

Fourth: I am too lazy to look up most facts lol, but I will answer any questions people have about my story. I'm sure it will be chock full of blunders because US History has never been my strong suit. The only reason I started writing this story was because I was hooked on the Smoke Jensen books by William Johnstone. I also read Louis L'Amour. What I know about the wild west I got from reading westerns lmao.

Fifth: This is complete fiction! Lol. I don't own the Weiss boys, I just abuse...I mean _use_ them for my own entertainment.

Sixth: If I make a mistake, please tell me nicely in a review. I have never had a flame before and I think I would cry if I did. I do appreciate criticism that is constructive and can help me to be better as a writer. So review with any questions or concerns and I will try to respond to them in a timely manner.

**Chapter Two: The Search**

Aya ignored the brunette following him as he rode back to where he'd left his belongings. Damn horse had untied himself again and followed him. He sighed swinging to the ground, what the hell was he going to do with him? Kage had always had a mind of his own. He shook his head then looked up at the homesteader, which, now that Aya got a good look at him, he could see that he wasn't. He was a gunslinger, probably hired by the train to protect them from bandits and Indians. The younger man stared back at him with a haughty expression. "Burt said to make sure you were coming back."

"Ah." Aya turned and took his coat and hat from the tree he'd left them in then put them on before grabbing his extra saddlebags from the ground. "Well, my job is only half done." He said quietly as he tied them in place behind his saddle. "I still have to guide you people to the land you bought." He swung up onto his horse and met the other man's eyes. "Despite the fact that I am a hired killer I don't leave women and children to die in the wilderness, Mr. Gunslinger."

"Ken." The brunette interrupted. "Ken Hidaka."

"Hidaka." Aya bowed his head slightly. "Aya Fujimiya, now let us find that trail." Ken grinned, nodding enthusiastically. Aya gathered his reins and urged Kage forward. If memory served him correctly there was a road nearby that would lead them to the trail the train needed to take.

* * *

Omi paced around the wagon. Ken and their new guide had been gone for two days and Omi was worried about him. He'd heard some of the others saying the man called Aya was a mercenary, which Youji explained was like an assassin. A man who killed for money, that's who Ken was traveling with. It was rather disconcerting. Omi knew the gunslinger could take care of himself, but after having seen Aya's skills first hand he wasn't so sure that Ken was safe.

The morale of the wagon train was at an all time low. No one knew if Aya would come back and actually guide them to their new homes. Youji was the only one who seemed certain of the fact, and though Omi loved his adopted brother dearly, he wasn't the smartest man in the world...especially when it came to a pretty face. The teen sighed as he climbed out of the wagon and stared off where Ken and the black rider had disappeared. He hoped they came back soon.

* * *

Aya made sure Hidaka was sleeping before removing his shirt to get at his injured side. His last fight with the damn Indian rogues had not left him unscathed. One of the braves had gotten in a lucky hit with his tomahawk. The swordsman gingerly removed the poultice he had placed over the wound and grimaced when he saw that it was showing signs of infection. "Damn." He muttered then stood and stalked over to where he'd left his saddlebags. Damn his pride. He hadn't wanted to show any weakness in front of the young gunslinger so he'd ignored the wound after the first night. It had been foolish beyond reason and Aya cursed himself as he gathered what he'd need to rid himself of the infection.

He slid his knife from his boot and slipped the blade into the hot coals of the fire. This was going to hurt...more so than it would have if he'd just taken care of the damn wound properly the first time. Still cursing himself he grabbed up a bottle of whiskey and after taking a long drink he poured some of the fiery liquid over the long gash in his side. Luckily it hadn't been too deep. Aya bit his lip against the curses he wanted to scream as the whiskey stung his wound. This really wasn't the best way to do this, but it was all he had. He then slipped a scalpel out of his surgery kit and, after sanitizing the small blade with some more whiskey, he began cutting away the dead and infected skin around the laceration on his side.

It took over an hour because he had to keep stopping so that he could add more wood to the fire. He couldn't afford to lose his only light source. Once he was finished cleaning the wound he took the now red hot knife from the coals. This was going to hurt like a bitch, but it was his only option to close the wound since he'd run out of supplies to stitch it with. He glanced at Hidaka's sleeping form then placed his belt between his teeth. After taking a deep breath he put the blade against his skin and nearly screamed from the pain. He managed to make only a soft groan that was further muffled by the belt in his mouth. It took only a few seconds to get the wound closed.

Aya dropped the knife and tried to breathe through the pain as he spread a small amount of burn cream over the wound. He sighed in relief as the cream cooled his burned flesh then put some gauze over it and wrapped a bandage around his torso. Feeling eyes on him he looked up to find Hidaka watching him with an irritated expression. "Did you seriously just do that?" The brunette snapped sitting up. Aya decided not to comment on the obvious as he reached for his shirt. The gunslinger frowned. "Ok, stupid question, but why didn't you tell me you were injured? I could have-"

"I am quite capable of taking care of my own injuries." The swordsman interrupted as he finished dressing. Already he felt better, but there was one last task he had before he could turn in for the night.

"Obviously." Hidaka muttered, rolling his eyes. "You know cauterizing a wound leaves a scar right? Why didn't you stitch it or something?"

"I do not care about scars, and I ran out of surgical twine over a week ago." Aya replied without emotion as he set some water to boil.

"Oh...what are you doing now?"

"Willow bark tea reduces both fever and helps to fight infection." The swordsman responded in the same tone. Exhaustion was starting to set in, but he needed to drink the tea before he went to sleep.

"Ugh, that shit tastes disgusting." Hidaka wrinkled his nose.

"Yet it work." Aya sighed. "Go back to sleep Hidaka."

"You can call me Ken, ya know?" The brunette muttered as he laid back down. Blessed silence returned to the camp as Hidaka closed his eyes. When the water began to boil Aya dropped a few pieces of bark into it then sat back to wait. He was so tired, but he fought off sleep for another few minutes then poured the tea into his canteen. He rinsed out the pot and put everything back in his saddle bags before sitting down on his blanket to drink. After drinking about half of the bitter tea he closed the canteen and laid down to sleep.

* * *

Ken woke the next morning and frowned when he saw that Aya was up already. The redhead was saddling his horse like the wound on his side wasn't there. "Good, you are awake." Ken frowned. The man hadn't even turned around, how the hell had he known that he was awake? "Eat quickly then get ready to ride. We have a lot of ground to cover today."

"Tch, fine." The gunslinger sighed as he rose from his blankets. Briefly he wondered how he hadn't woken when Aya had started cooking. There was bacon and eggs in a pan next to the fire along with some fried potatoes. Ken blinked in surprise. He'd never brought eggs with him on his wanderings after the first couple times he'd found them broken in his pack. When he said as much he heard the swordsman snort.

"Those are not chicken eggs." He glanced at the gunslinger, amusement in his eyes. "They are quail eggs that I found this morning. There was a nest not far from here." Ken stared at him in shock, fork halfway to his mouth.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Since before dawn."

"Jesus, how long did you sleep?!"

"A few hours." Aya shrugged as he turned from his horse to face Ken. "Kage was uneasy, there were coyotes nearby last night." Ken watched in shock as his own horse, Zou walked over to the swordsman and nudged his shoulder.

"Didn't I..." The brunette looked back where he'd tied his horse off.

"It appears my horse has been teaching yours his bad habits." The swordsman sighed as he absently stroked the brown mare's white-starred forehead. She ran her head into his chest, almost knocking him over.

"What the?" Ken had never seen his horse act like this, nor warm up to someone other than him. He saw the redhead's lips twitch, then he reached into his front pocket and pulled out half of a carrot. Zou whinnied softly as she took the treat from his palm. Aya grunted as his own horse nudged him from behind.

"No. You already had one." The swordsman snapped turning to shove the stallion's face away. Kage pawed the ground with a snort. Ken laughed then set about finishing his food. Within a half hour they had the campsite cleaned up and Zou saddled. As he swung up onto her back he watched Aya carefully. He still showed no sign of being injured. It was strange to see someone so stoic and cold. Ken knew that if _he_ had been hurt like that and had to have the wound cauterized he would never be so calm about it. He'd probably be swearing up a storm or crying like a baby, so either Aya had an extremely high pain tolerance or he wasn't human.

* * *

Within four days of leaving the wagon train Aya found the California Trail. As he and Ken watched a different train pass by he heard the gunman swear. "They were set to leave at least a week or more after us." The brunette grumbled in explanation. "I recognize the family in the lead wagon."

"Ah." Aya nodded then turned his horse and began riding back the way they had come. "It will take a week to get the wagons back onto the trail, Hidaka." He said as the brunette rode up next to him. "It will be rough." He added, adjusting his hat to keep the sun from his skin, which was extremely sensitive. He hated working in this part of the country, preferring to stay in the northern regions, but this request had come directly from the government. They wanted more settlers in the western territories and were extremely worried about what had happened to the men and women who had never reached their claims. Once Aya reached a town with a telegraph station he would send in a condensed version of his report. Right now he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Why are you helping us anyway?" Hidaka asked suddenly. "I know you said you were hired to find out what happened to the missing wagon trains, but you've done that so, why guide us?"

"I am not the sort of man who leaves innocent people in the middle of the wilderness to die." The swordsman replied evenly. "If there had been another guide among your people I would not be here."

"Where _would_ you be?"

"Somewhere else." Aya shrugged. It was none of the gunslingers business and he was not in the habit of discussing his life with others.

"Tch, can you at least tell me who hired you?"

"I believe it was the Senator of California, although he used intermediaries so I cannot be sure."

"Inter-whats?"

"A 'baikai' in our native tongue." Aya sighed. The brunette looked over at him in surprise.

"I haven't spoken Japanese in a long time." Hidaka said after a while. "When I first came here it was all I could speak, but I learned English pretty quickly. It took a long time to get rid of my accent though." He looked at Aya curiously. "Why did you come to America?"

"It was not by choice." The swordsman replied shortly. The truth was that he had been exiled. In Nihon the ways of the Samurai were dying and many had either been killed or forced to leave...well the ones who wouldn't set aside their blades anyway. It was something Aya refused to do. He had lived by the sword almost his entire life. He was a warrior...a Samurai, which was the real reason he couldn't leave the people of the wagon train behind to die. There was a lot of the old code he'd had to disregard to survive in this Kami forsaken land, but killing innocents was not something he could do. Sure they wouldn't have died by his hand, but they would have died none the less and it would have been his fault. It was not a sin that he could live with.

"You're a Samurai." Hidaka gasped, staring at him with an awed expression that made Aya feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I am a rounin." The samurai responded tightly. It was not something he liked to talk about. His former master had cast him aside when he'd discovered that the way of the Samurai was ending. The man had actually tried to have him killed, but when that didn't work he'd gone to the government to request Aya's immediate exile, which was granted seeing as he'd been on the wrong side of the current ruling body. Aya still remembered the night they had arrested him and taken him to the boat that would bring him here. It was not a pleasant memory. They had killed his parents and sister then burned his ancestral home to the ground. With nothing left for him there he had discarded the name his parents had given him and left the country of his birth. They had let him keep his katana and armor, but nothing else. One day he would go back and kill the Takatori clan. Until that time came, though, he had to sharpen his skills...while he waited for them to grow soft and fat. His lips turned up in a cold smile as he imagined the look on that bastard's face when the Kageoni came for his soul.

Translation Notes: Some people might know all the Japanese words I used in this chapter, but some might not so I decided to put these here at the bottom of the chapter instead of in it...that would just ruin the flow.

Baikai- Means intermediary which is someone who works on behalf of someone else.

Kageoni- Roughly translates to 'Shadow Demon'.

Kage- Means shadow.

Zou- Means Elephant...Ken's kind of an asshole lol

Rounin-A samurai from the feudal times that had no master.

Nihon/Nippon- The true name for Japan.


	3. The Samurai

**Chapter Three: The Samurai**

Youji leaped from his wagon as a cheer rose up among his companions. He let out a whoop himself and yelled at Omi to get out there. The teen's face lit up when he saw what everyone was so happy about. Ken and Aya were riding up to the circle of wagons. The brunette had a huge grin on his face, but the mysterious swordsman next to him was expressionless. "Didja find the trail?" Burt asked, walking up to them as they dismounted. Aya nodded tiredly.

"It will take almost a full week to get the wagons there and it will be rough, but once we reach the trail we will be only three weeks travel from your claims." Another cheer went up through the crowd that had gathered around the two men. The preacher's wife began to cry with relief.

"Our food stores are runnin' a bit low." Burt said gravely. "We won't last the week if we can't get more." Aya mulled this over for a moment then nodded. Without a word he swung up onto his horse and rode off towards the east. Youji stared after him, his heart sinking in his chest. He'd wanted to try and talk to the mysterious stranger. With a sigh he headed back to his and Omi's wagon. When he got there he found Ken and his adoptive brother seated on the grass behind it chatting. He sat down with them and listened as Ken told them about his trip with Aya. Youji was surprised to learn that the swordsman was actually a Samurai. Sure he'd had that mask, but the blonde had assumed it was a family heirloom or something.

Just as the sun began to set he heard the sounds of a horse. He stood and looked eastward. His jaw dropped when he saw Aya walking up to the camp. He was carrying his saddle over one shoulder and slung across his horse's back were two dead deer. The fanged mask was in place, covering his mouth and nose. Youji felt a shiver run up his spine at the cold look in the younger man's eyes. He wondered what it would take to get the man to warm up to him...that was assuming Aya would even return his advances and there was definitely no guarantee of _that_. The blonde homesteader sighed as the beautiful man disappeared among the wagons.

A few minutes later there were shrieks of disgust that had him, Ken, and Omi running to investigate. They found Aya replacing his saddle on his horse's back. The two deer were now on the ground in front of a group of women, who had been sitting around the fire cooking. Burt's wife, Elaine, was laughing now as she stirred a pot of stew. "Well aren't you a sweetie." She chuckled, handing her chore off to her daughter, Maggie, who had begun to giggle into her hands.

"A what?" Aya's deep voice was slightly muffled by his mask. He reached up and took it off.

"A sweetie." Elaine repeated, her lips twitching.

"Ah." The samurai grunted after a long moment. "I have been called many things, ma'am, but never that." The woman chuckled softly as she walked up to him.

"I am afraid that none of us know how to properly butcher one of these animals, would you be able to show me?" Elaine asked, her eyes sparkling. Aya looked at her for a moment then sighed. He pulled the saddle off his stallion and set it on the ground then took the horse's reins and tied them to the nearest wagon.

"Taizei*." He muttered under his breath after forcing the horse to look him in the eye. The horse seemed to glare at him for a moment before shifting on its feet and tossing its head. Aya muttered something else Youji didn't catch before grabbing a long bladed knife from his boot and walking to the first deer. "I bled it and removed the organs already." He said quietly, using the knife to open up the huge cut that went down the center of it.

"Wonderful!" Elaine clapped. "Now how do we skin it?" Aya gave her an odd look before showing her step by step how to skin the deer then he showed her what parts of the animal were edible and what parts needed to be tossed. After doing the first deer he handed Elaine his knife then pointed at the other one. "By myself?!" The woman exclaimed.

"How else will you learn?" Aya quirked a brow at her.

"You're gonna stand there right?" She asked worriedly. At his nod she relaxed visibly then got to work. Every once in a while Aya would reach down to correct her grip on the knife or the direction she was cutting. It took twice as long as the first deer and by the time it was finished almost everyone had eaten and gone to bed. Burt and another man took care of the deer carcases while the women who were still up began wrapping the meat to store it. Aya walked over to where he had left his horse and began to gather his belongings. Youji watched him for a moment, noting that his movements seemed slow.

"He barely slept the entire time we were gone." Ken said quietly at Youji's shoulder. "I can't believe he's still up, especially with that cut he's got."

"What cut?" Youji asked in surprise. The gunslinger then told him about waking up in the middle of the night to the smell of burning flesh and a low groan of pain to see Aya cauterizing a long gash on his side.

"He's been fighting an infection, but he won't let me help." Ken sighed. "Maybe you can talk some sense into him." The brunette started to turn away. "Omi's asleep already." He smiled up at Youji. "He started nodding off during dinner so I brought him to your wagon."

"Thank you." Youji bowed slightly. "I must admit I wasn't paying attention to my little brother." The blonde added sheepishly. Ken only chuckled and walked away. Youji looked over towards Aya in time to see him swing up into the saddle and begin riding towards the stream on the other side of the hill.

* * *

Aya almost fell as he dismounted next to the stream. "Mamoru.*" He whispered to Kage as he knelt beside the water. The horse nuzzled his cheek then stood guard over him so that he could wash the deer blood from his skin. The samurai carefully slipped off his shirt and scrubbed it clean. With that done he hung it on a nearby tree then built a hat sized fire. He pulled his medical supplies from his saddle bag and set about changing his bandage. The red infected lines had disappeared and the wound had scabbed over. It also showed signs of healing, which relieved the samurai greatly. Out here in the wilderness there wasn't much a person could do if wounds got infected then worsened. If the injury was on a limb there was always amputation, which was just as likely to kill the person as the infection, but a wound to the abdomen, torso, or head that option was quite obviously impossible. As he re-bandaged the wound he heard Kage wicker softly.

"_Dare*_?" He asked, getting to his feet and slipping his left hand pistol from its holster.

"Just me." Came a deep voice. "Youji Kudou." A tall blonde man stepped out of the shadows from the direction of the wagons. Aya recognized him as one of the homesteaders. "Ken said you were injured. I'm a doctor so I thought I might be able to help."

"I am fine." The redhead frowned then reached into one of his bags for a fresh shirt. He eyed the other man as he put it on. Kudou was taller and looked older. His skin was tanned from days spent driving his wagon and there was a light in his green eyes that unnerved Aya. He'd seen that look before when he was younger and still in training. It had been in his Nenja's* eyes whenever they had lain together and in the eyes of many of his brethren as they'd watched him train. To them he had been beautiful and they had wanted him. He had never thought of himself as attractive, but knowing that others did had amused him and many times he had played on their desires to get extra training.

When he'd come to America he saw the same desire, but not from men. Their cultures were too different. Most men refused to look at other men with lust, but the women were different. They eyed him with longing, admiring his exotic looks and elite skills. He had never lain with a woman and had no desire to, so he ignored them as best he could. The 'loose' women found in bars and brothels disgusted him with their forwardness and disease ridden bodies. They painted their faces and wore garish, revealing clothing to attract their clientele. Most men lusted after them, but Aya was not one of them. He had been in the presence of many Geisha* in his lifetime and to him they were the epitome of grace, beauty, and womanhood. They were not prostitutes or whores like many believed. They were literally moving works of art dedicated to the life of beautiful service.

Aya pushed his thoughts aside as Kudou moved closer to him. He was wary of the intent in the older man's eyes. It wasn't as though he was averse to the idea of coupling with the blonde man. He just wasn't sure it was the best idea. The people of America were against same sex relations and he had seen many men lynched after just being accused of homosexual acts. If they were to have sex then they would have to be careful.

"You should return to your wagon, Kudou-san, it is not safe out here at night and you are not armed."

"Please, call me Youji." The blonde grinned. Aya blinked in surprise then shook his head. He may not still be a samurai in service, but he still had his honor. He also didn't want to get close to anyone. Calling Kudou by his first name and without honorifics meant he was accepting a friendship with the man, which was not something he wanted or needed. He was not in this country to make long lasting connections with people. It was exile and he longed to go home where everything made sense.

"You need to return." The swordsman said curtly, turning to where he had hung his shirt. The garment was still wet, but he took it from the branches and stuffed it in one of his saddlebags.

"Do you have a place to sleep?" Kudou asked curiously.

"I will make camp not far from here." Aya replied, swinging up onto his horse. He paused next to the blonde man. "You should be careful, in this country, looking with desire at other men." He said calmly and quietly. Kudou jerked as if slapped and stared up at him.

"How..."

"I have seen that look many times in my life." Aya explained, his eyes constantly moving to make sure none would overhear. "Many in my old way of life practiced Wakashudo*." Kudou's eyes widened in understanding. "This place is different. They do not accept that type of relationship...do you understand?" He finally met the older man's eyes. After a moment Kudou nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Good. Now come, I will escort you back to your wagon."

* * *

Youji laid awake for a long time thinking about what Aya had said...and what he hadn't. The doctor knew how to read between the lines. Aya had warned him not to be obvious about his desires, but he hadn't been against the idea either. He had also admitted, in a round about way, that he had been with men before. The knowledge cheered Youji up considerably. It was now not outside the realm of possibilities that he and Aya could...entertain each other. They would never be able to have an open relationship. The samurai had been right when he'd said that the people of America didn't understand or accept homosexuality.

A blush of embarrassment stained his cheeks. He hadn't realized he'd been so obvious about his feelings for the younger man. He had desired Aya from the moment he'd seen him. From now on he needed to be more careful. He also needed to speak to Omi and Ken. He'd noticed the looks passing between them lately and he needed to warn them before someone else figured it out.

* * *

**Translations:**

Taizei: Means 'stay'. Aya is telling his horse not to move lol.

Mamoru: Means to protect or guard.

Dare: Means 'who'. (pronounced- dah-ray)

Wakashudo: "The way of the youth". As I understand it, was a practice engaged in by Samurai of all classes. The samurai would take on a younger partner to train. This partner was also his lover.

Nenja: The older partner. A man named Tatsuya was Aya's nenja.

Wakashuu: The younger partner.

Geisha: Traditional female entertainers. They acted as hostesses and their skills included various arts such as classical music, dance and games. THEY WERE NOT PROSTITUTES. This is a foreign misconception. They did have to perform ONE act of paid sex called mizuage, which was basically selling their virginity. Some women dressed as Geisha were prostitutes which is probably where the misconception came from, but a _legitimate_ Geisha did not have sex for money.

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter. I had to do some actual research lol. If I got any facts wrong feel free to let me know.


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